Tag Archives: John King

Did you find that slightly annoying? No, not the fact the world’s most wanted, ruthless and maniacal terrorist has met his fate. I’m referring to the reiteration: Osama Bin Laden is dead. Osama Bin Laden is dead. Osama Bin Laden is dead. Those watching CNN’s coverage of the President’s statement confirming the death of Public Enemy No. 1 were subjected to correspondent John King’s drone repetition of this breaking news. I understand King’s consistent delivery of this message was actually meant to convey the significance of the event, but I was left with the feeling that the moment was more about King being the “first” to confirm this news and less than the network being the medium providing some measure of closure to the families of the thousands of innocent lives that were lost that fateful day ten years ago.

We should temper our rejoicing of Bin Laden’s fall. His death is not the end to the war on terror. In fact, America is now on heightened alert with the very real possibility of retaliation by al-Qaida. We should commend the brave Navy Seals who risked their lives to bring the world one step closer to peace. In addition, we should commend President Barack Obama for having the foresight and patience to order the U.S strike at the right moment and not just when an opportunity presented itself. The highest praise, however, should go to God for guiding the steps and actions of our special forces and the president.

Proverbs 24:17-18 counsels us, “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.” So, let’s use this moment, this emotion-filled historical moment, as a time of reflection and honor to the victims of 9/11 and to the servicemen and servicewomen who have and are risking their lives for the betterment of our country and our world.